Knowing of the mediocre reputation of Taurus, I went ahead and purchased my first Taurus semi auto pistol, a 709 slim. This is my fourth Taurus firearm, I've got two revolvers and a .22lr pump action rifle. I liked the 709 because it is a single stack 9mm, and I thought it could make a nice carry gun. Today I took the gun to the range for the first time. The good news is that I can quit looking at holsters because I won't be using it as a carry gun anytime soon.

First thing I noticed was that the adjustable sights are completely useless. I got some lovely groups at 7 and 10 yards, but they were low to where I was aiming, no matter how I adjusted the sights. All the adjustable sights are good for is deciding if I want to be one inch or two inches off target.

I was using Winchester white box target ammo, and I had four or five intermittent jam ups where the empty case failed to eject. The extractor would grab the case, but it would slip past the ejector and ram into the next round. I would drop the magazine and repeatedly rack the slide to clear the empty, but it would repeatedly miss the ejector and just stay there until I removed it by hand. Obviously this is not a good thing to happen in a carry gun, which is unfortunate since concealed carry is really the only practical purpose for the 709. Oh well, you live and learn. No point in sending it back - the sights could be classified as a subjective problem, and the ejector problem is intermittent. If the Taurus gunsmiths can't duplicate the problem then they won't be able to fix it.

Just another toy for the range, but definitely NOT a concealed carry gun.

I could not tolerate an unreliable gun, for any purpose. I would definitely send it back to Taurus, if they didn't fix it then it's only use would be the core of a concrete boat anchor. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I sold it to some poor soul.

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Still happily answering to the call-sign Peetza.
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The problem, as you so eloquently put it, is choice.
-The Architect
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He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose.
-Jim Eliott, paraphrasing Philip Henry.

I field stripped it and cleaned all the factory gunk out before going to the range. I actually learned that lesson from my Taurus Gaucho when I had the hammer lock up in the cocked position over a live round because of a little piece of factory gunk in the action. I'm pretty sure I did not limp wrist it. It may need a break in period. I'm not done playing with it, I'm just saying I don't trust it as a carry gun.

I saw one of the ones with the stainless slide in a local shop yesterday. I was quite intrigued by it. The gun looked very promising. Then I made the mistake of racking the slide and pulling the trigger. The trigger was cheap feeling and very harsh. The slide felt like it had sand in it compared to my Kahr pistols.

I've put 300 Winchester White Box rounds through my 709 without a single issue. Although I am not a good shot by any means, mine shot low out of the box too. I've read a lot of reviews of other 709s shooting low too.

I certainly won't be able to take out a bad guy hiding behind a hostage at 35 yards with this gun, but I am more than confident that I can adequately defend myself if needed. For $369, it was worth it. The 709 doesn't compare to higher end guns of its size, but I like it.

huchahuchax - mine failed to eject the same way...exactly. It did NOT do it as much as yours though. Maybe 1 time in 2 magazines. Slide lock wouldn't lock open on the last round either.

Quote:

No point in sending it back - the sights could be classified as a subjective problem, and the ejector problem is intermittent. If the Taurus gunsmiths can't duplicate the problem then they won't be able to fix it.

Contact Taurus and have them pick it up. Use the warranty....it makes no sense not to - someone else sent it back for the same thing and it was fixed - new ejector, I believe.

Mine went back last Friday. It is hoped that it will be back fairly quickly.

How does it compare in size to my 3913? I've seen the numbers and it has a bit of an edge on paper, but we all know that on paper and in the hand are different things all together. So, anyone out there handled or shot both the 709 and an S&W 3913?

I'm intrigued by the 709 and in a year or so when Taurus has the bugs worked out I might consider buying one, but only if it has an edge in size and concealability over my Smitty.

I bought a Kahr that gave me problems, but I made an effort to have the problems corrected. Kahr has an EXCELLENT customer service department, and to say they did me right is an understatement.

Kahr (like Taurus) seems to excel in their all-steel guns. I took a chance with a polymer example, and it didn't work. But they fixed it NO COST... nothing. I'd say give Taurus customer service one try at fixing it.

Good luck with that. Part of Taurus' horrible reputation is because of their terrible customer service. We sent a gun back to them once and by the time it came back both my friend and I had forgotten he ever owned it. It was literally nearly 6 months and the gun was still not fixed.

I'm no fan of Taurus, but it might be worth a call to them to see if they'd pay for shipping and return it back to them. I mean hell, if bought the gun as a CCW piece and it isn't going to fit that bill, I'd go without it for a few months to see if Taurus can make the thing work right before I'd relegate it as a range piece.

Sorry to hear about the bad review. Despite Taurus' "spotty" reputation on all their handguns except the PT 92/99, I was also intrigued about the 709. I was basically thinking of a single action backup gun a little bigger and more powerful than my Sig 238 for use during the winter. For all intents and purposes, the 709 is a single action with double strike capability.

I looked at and handled a 709 and was not particularly impressed. Still, for that price, I was hoping. I've seen other negative reviews as well and I guess it's time to think of something else.

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Jim's Rules of Carry: 1. Any gun is better than no gun. 2. A gun that is reliable is better than a gun that is not. 3. A hole in the right place is better than a hole in the wrong place. 4. A bigger hole is a better hole.

I looked at and handled a 709 and was not particularly impressed. Still, for that price, I was hoping. I've seen other negative reviews as well and I guess it's time to think of something else

I was intrigued at first too. It is starting to look like this is just another Taurus though. The thing that really hurt the stainless slide one I was look at was the fact it was sitting right next to two Kahr CW9's on the shelf. One was "used unfired" for $5 less and the other was "NIB" for $35 more. It would not take a rocket scientist make that decision.

I saw a Stainless 709 Slim at my LGS last month. The price was decent so I went back the next day to buy it. It was sold, but in it's place in the case was a Stainless CW9 for a few $'s more. I'm really happy about this, because the Kahr has been flawless for 400 rounds so far, and it's smaller and lighter than the Taurus. This is my CC replacement for my PF9, because the KelTec chokes on WWB, and I don't completely trust it. I have fired 4 different HP's including my SD ammo and WWB and Federal ball in the CW9 w/o one problem. I think the trigger is also better than the KelTec or Taurus.

Im a happy Taurus owner of 2 guns,but have passed on the 709 repeatedly.
My reasons were there were many other good guns in that size that where priced closely.
Keltec PF9 wich is cheaper and smaller.
Kahr CW9 about same size and money but a better respected gun with better resale value.
Kahr PM9 a whole other league of gun.
Walther PPS9 same league as the PM9

I went with the Walther and love it.
Besides the fact the 709 is a SA w/DA 2nd strike and manual safety there is nothing special about it.

I kinda notice the same people like Ace and Playboy always trash Taurus (do a search) and then you have some others...different people every time saying the ones they have are OK.
Fun to watch these threads. Kinda like the Conservative Liberal hate debates.

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